Author. He won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for "Angela's Ashes", a memoir of his poverty-stricken childhood in Ireland. Born into a poor Brooklyn, New York City, New York family, he moved with them to Limerick, Ireland, in 1934 to escape the Depression. There, things were no better, and McCourt quit school at 13 to work a series of odd-jobs (and engage in petty crime) to help feed his family. Returning to America at 19, he was drafted into the Army, and posted to Germany. Upon discharge, he used the GI bill to obtain an education; McCourt attended New York University, earned a master's degree from Brooklyn College, and launched a 30 year career teaching English. He was eventually to retire from the elite Stuyvesant High School. His "Angela's Ashes" became a best-seller, garnering the 1996 National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as the Pulitzer. McCourt wrote two later books that were less successful; the 1999 "'Tis", a continuation of "Angela's Ashes", and "Teacher Man" (2005), the story of his career in education.
Author. He won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for "Angela's Ashes", a memoir of his poverty-stricken childhood in Ireland. Born into a poor Brooklyn, New York City, New York family, he moved with them to Limerick, Ireland, in 1934 to escape the Depression. There, things were no better, and McCourt quit school at 13 to work a series of odd-jobs (and engage in petty crime) to help feed his family. Returning to America at 19, he was drafted into the Army, and posted to Germany. Upon discharge, he used the GI bill to obtain an education; McCourt attended New York University, earned a master's degree from Brooklyn College, and launched a 30 year career teaching English. He was eventually to retire from the elite Stuyvesant High School. His "Angela's Ashes" became a best-seller, garnering the 1996 National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as the Pulitzer. McCourt wrote two later books that were less successful; the 1999 "'Tis", a continuation of "Angela's Ashes", and "Teacher Man" (2005), the story of his career in education.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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